Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is making some headway towards a return to the club. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports that Arenado hit off a tee on Thursday afternoon and will take batting practice on Friday. If all goes well, he could begin a rehab assignment soon, perhaps within a week.

Arenado has been on the disabled list since May 24, when he suffered a left mallet finger fracture on a head-first slide in a game the previous night. Given that the estimated recovery period is between six to eight weeks, Arenado starting a rehab assignment soon could mean he misses only the minimum amount of time.

Arenado was having a great season prior to the injury, slashing .305/.333/.489 with six home runs and 28 RBI in 204 plate appearances. The Rockies could use him back, as they’ve gone 9-21 in the time since.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher has reversed course and will continue to pay minor leaguers. Fisher tells Slusser, “I concluded I made a mistake.” He said he is also setting up an assistance fund for furloughed employees.

The A’s decided in late May to stop paying paying minor leaguers as of June 1, which was the earliest date on which any club could do so after an MLB-wide agreement to pay minor leaguers through May 31 expired. In the event, the A’s were the only team to stop paying the $400/week stipends to players before the end of June. Some teams, notable the Royals and Twins, promised to keep the payments up through August 31, which is when the minor league season would’ve ended. The Washington Nationals decided to lop off $100 of the stipends last week but, after a day’s worth of blowback from the media and fans, reversed course themselves.

An @sfchronicle exclusive: A's owner John Fisher reverses course, apologizes: team will pay minor-leaguers; "I concluded I made a mistake," he tells me. He's also setting up an assistance fund for furloughed employees: https://t.co/8HUBkFAaBx)